Seymour Water Pollution Control employees started tearing out the bottom of the kiddie pool area at Shields Park Pool in Seymour on Feb. 6. The kiddie pool will be filled in with concrete, and WPC will install two splash pad features.
Courtesy of Seymour Parks and Recreation Department
Construction has begun on the kiddie pool area at Shields Park Pool in Seymour.
Seymour Water Pollution Control employees started tearing out the bottom of that area of the pool on Feb. 6, and the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department is working with a plumber to get quotes to install two splash pad features.
“Once the plumbing is put in, then WPC will come back and do the rock and the concrete as well as install the spray features, so we’re on track to have that opened up this season,” Parks Director Chad Keithley recently told the department’s board during a meeting.
That will be welcomed news for kids and families as the kiddie pool area was closed in 2023. The pool opens around Memorial Day each year.
In April last year, the parks board approved spending up to $15,000 to fill in the kiddie pool with concrete and install two splash pad features. The plan was for city employees to do the work as a cost savings.
The parks department had plans to open the kiddie pool area by the 2023 season, but that didn’t happen.
Keithley told the board at that time everything underneath the kiddie pool is gone, and it had been leaking 5,000 gallons of water a day. Since there was no plumbing, water was going into the ground, which in turn was going to cause more cracking and breaking away.
After talking to WPC officials about the mechanical structure of the pool, it was determined to fill in the kiddie pool with concrete and use existing lines to connect to spray features.
“By going into our current filtration system and into our current drainage, we would be replacing all of that … and then filling in concrete to where everything would still drain to those two features and everything would drain into our current sewer system,” Keithley said.
That idea was shared with Spear Corp., which built the current pool and will be installing a splash pad at Westside Park, and company officials agreed that plan makes sense.
The new concrete will have a brushed finish, which will provide slip resistance that’s often used for splash pads.
Spear Corp. also was contacted for pricing on the water fixtures. New ones were needed because the previous ones were made of fiberglass that was exposed and had to be painted each year.
The department chose to buy Aqua Dome No. 1 and Aqua Dome No. 2 from Vortex because those are the favorite water features for spray parks, and both provide a bell-shaped water effect for game playing or an immersive play experience for kids of all ages and abilities.
Keithley said one good thing about the water features is they can be used at another location with a splash pad, like the one planned at Westside Park.
Also related to the upcoming pool season, the parks board approved Keithley’s request to use training funds for him, Maintenance Director Kerry Bevers and another department employee to take the two-day certified pool operator classroom course.
While Dave and Chris Boggs retired last year from managing the pool, Keithley said they have decided to come back and help train staff for this year to make sure everything is a good transition.
He said Chris’ assistant manager position has been filled, and the pool manager job will be posted soon.
Keithley said the Boggses also have set up a lifeguard certification course for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 6 and 7 at the Seymour High School pool. The cost is $200. The instructor is Jim Lemke with the American Red Cross.
For those needing recertified, the course will be at the same time and location on April 7, and the cost is $100. Lifeguards must be recertified every two years.
Potential lifeguards must be 15 or older before the pool opens for the summer.
For information, email [email protected].
Lifeguard applications are available any time and may be downloaded on the city’s website at seymourcity.com/offices/human-resources.